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Amazon's Ryan Adams Store

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Biography

Ryan Adams is a multiple-Grammy-nominated singer songwriter from Jacksonville, NC whose critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums both as a solo artist and with the Cardinals have included Heartbreaker (2000), Gold (2001), Love Is Hell (2004), Cold Roses (2005) and Easy Tiger (2007) which TIME magazine hailed as "a career breakthrough." Adams is also the CEO of his own ... Read more in Amazon's Ryan Adams Store

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Editorial Reviews

Although the album's title may lead you to believe that this is a compilation, Cardinology is, in fact, a new album! Like its predecessor Easy Tiger, which TIME magazine hailed as "a career breakthrough," Cardinology is a concise and focused collection of twelve unadorned gems. The Cardinals are: Ryan Adams (vocals, guitar, keys), Neal Casal (guitar, vocals), Chris Feinstein (bass, vocals), Jon Graboff (pedal steel, vocals) and Brad Pemberton (drums).

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Cardinology is my introduction to the world of Ryan Adams, and I have to say, I'm rather pleased with it. It's obvious that Adams is a man who reveres the classics, as sounds of classic country, Elton John, and especially Neil Young are very prevalent in the music, working into a seamless blend which results in something greater than the sum of its parts. The music runs through the typical gamut of moods for a modern indie rock musician, hitting all the high points of ballads, slow rockers, barn burners, and country folk mashups. Adams has a distinctively Neil Young-ish voice, which I suppose can either be a great asset or a terrible burden depending upon the listener. Personally, I dig his voice, which lends itself easily to the variety of styles seen on this record.

The individual songs are solid, but just like with the albums various styles, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. While no individual song really stuck out to me as an instantly appealing, needs-to-be-on-infinite-repeat kind of track, there were none I really disliked. I think fans of Adams will no doubt enjoy this record, and as I've seen, it may not be a bad place for newcomers to start.

"RYAN ADAMS IS THE SONGWRITING GENIOUS (sic) OF OUR MILLENIUM" proclaims one ecstatic reviewer on this page, while others on the opposite side of the spectrum urge the reader to go buy Cold Roses instead. Obviously this disc is divisive among the various camps of Ryan Adams fans, and that's surprising to me given how straightforward and pleasing this music sounds. But then, I am a relative newcomer to the world of Ryan Adams and the Cardinals so perhaps there's more to this than I'd think.

A bit of background. I have all the Whiskeytown material (or at least I think I do, I bought the 3 CDs available at the time) plus a copy of Heartbreaker, but after that I got off the train. Ryan's output became confusing and difficult to follow (stylistic jumps, overlong albums and a plethora of new material of dubious quality) and the music media often cast him as a whiny, narcissistic baby which is always a turnoff (quite frankly I usually don't care about such things but some of the stories did have an impact on whether I wanted to give my money to this guy). But recent positive reviews of Easy Tiger and reports that Adam has cleaned up his act and decided to focus on his music with more seriousness of purpose got me interested. This album is where I got back on the train and I'm happy I did so.

Adams is apparently one of those guys who has absorbed a lot of influences over the years. I'm not sure how old he is but I think he's probably at least about a half-decade younger than myself, which means he grew up in the era of alternative rock. However it's also clear that he's spent some time with classic rock as well - possibly the Grateful Dead and/or the Eagles - as well as the classic country stuff that formed the backbone of the Whiskeytown sound.Read more ›

When approaching a new Ryan Adams CD, I've always found that one should be a little wary, a little drunk, or perhaps both. He has a capricious sort of genius that is a little like lightning in a bottle. When he is hot, man he can light up the sky. When he is not, well, he is still often better than most other folks around. But the trick is, you never know who you are going to get...will it be the bad boy throwing out rock and roll at full tilt? Will it be the sensitive boy who just had his heart broken? The newly mature adult alternative darling? Well, for cardinology, I think they are all here to some extent.

Cardinology is a very solid, very well done collection of songs that are easy to like. He builds on the strengths of Easy Tiger, relying on his excellent backing band, the Cardinals. The songwriting is generally good, although it isn't his sharpest (see his towering masterpiece, Cold Roses, or his utterly amazing alt country opus, Heartbreaker, for that). The music is generally mid tempo, strong on guitars. Ryan's voice sounds fantastic--he sticks to his very strong middle register, but isn't scared to allow himself to wail when he slips into despair. He growls and pleads, shimmying up and down the scales when the moment requires, but grounds everything in the best portion of his middle range baritone. There is a dearth of the slide guitar that I had enjoyed on many of his earlier works, but I can certainly overlook this.

Lyrics alternate between assured posturing and raw pain. "I wish I could tell you just how I'm hurt," he says on Crossed Out Name, one of the stand out tracks on the album. Later, on Natural Ghost, he says "I was waiting around for somebody to die/...Read more ›

I appreciate the various comments from other Adams aficionados, but still want to add my bit. "Cardinology" is as good an effort as any record that came out in 2008. You get the distinct impression that Ryan checked his demons at the studio door and used found refuge in the chords and melodies. The songs are expressive. Universal, yet personal. The musicianship is exceptional across the board. The best at their instruments? Doesn't matter. These guys cut a groove and then invite you to fall into it. Pop this into you ipod, rise early in the morning and find an out-of-the-way place to go walking, biking, whatever, and then let this music fill your head. Or better yet, do so in traffic or while sitting on the train. Ryan and Co. will carry you away. THAT to me is the mark of a good record. It takes you somewhere you would rather be.

The production is excellent, engineering as good as it gets. Balanced if not slightly saturated (which I happen to like), fully dimensional and yet cohesive. And I even like the CD cover. Not a fan of Adams? No matter. Listen to "Fix It," then listen again. Then again.

Forums

I just hope you're also planning on buying the album. I've listened to the leak too, and it is amazing, but on the first day it was available I pre-ordered the LP and I can't wait for it to arrive. Just received a 4-star review from Rolling Stone, too! But seriously, I hope you're planning on... Read More